Accra, Ghana — Organisations seeking to remain competitive in an increasingly volatile global environment must move beyond traditional risk management and deliberately build institutions capable of adapting to uncertainty, Barbara Dede Ama Okai-Tettey, Head of Business Enablement, Business and Commercial Banking at Stanbic Bank Ghana, has said.
Speaking at Risk Summit 2026 on the theme “Thinking Beyond Risk: The True Foundation of Institutional Resilience,” Okai-Tettey challenged business leaders, policymakers and governance professionals to rethink what resilience means in today’s rapidly changing operating environment.
According to her, resilience should not be measured simply by how an organisation reacts when a crisis occurs, but by the quality of the decisions, systems and institutional culture established before disruption takes place.
“Institutional resilience is not built in the middle of a crisis. It is cultivated through deliberate leadership, strong governance and a culture that encourages curiosity, constructive challenge and disciplined decision-making.”
Beyond traditional risk management
The global risk environment is becoming increasingly complex, with organisations facing challenges ranging from geopolitical instability and cyber threats to artificial intelligence, climate change, financial crime and economic uncertainty.
Okai-Tettey argued that institutions that succeed in such an environment will be those capable of thinking critically, adapting quickly and making sound decisions under pressure.
She noted that many organisations continue to equate resilience primarily with stronger controls, additional policies and increased regulatory compliance.
While acknowledging the importance of those measures, she said they represent only part of what is required to build genuinely resilient institutions.
“Policies do not make decisions. Controls do not exercise judgement. People do.”
She said resilience ultimately depends on the quality of leadership, institutional culture and an organisation’s ability to navigate complexity while developing practical and sustainable solutions.
Crises expose weaknesses that already exist
According to Okai-Tettey, major crises rarely create entirely new institutional weaknesses.
Instead, they often expose vulnerabilities that have existed for some time but have not been properly addressed.
Whether the disruption involves a cyberattack, financial crime, operational failure or economic shock, she said such events can reveal weaknesses in governance, decision-making and organisational culture.
The implication for businesses is clear: resilience cannot begin when the crisis arrives.
Institutions need to identify vulnerabilities early and address them before they develop into points of failure.
Risk management must enable opportunity
Okai-Tettey also called for a broader understanding of the role of risk professionals.
Rather than focusing exclusively on identifying threats or preventing failure, she said risk, compliance and assurance professionals should help organisations navigate uncertainty while balancing opportunity with accountability.
“Effective governance should create confidence for innovation, not barriers to progress.”
That approach becomes particularly important as businesses increasingly adopt artificial intelligence, digital platforms and new business models.
Rather than treating innovation and risk as opposing forces, organisations need governance frameworks that allow innovation to happen responsibly.
Constructive challenge can strengthen institutions
The Stanbic Bank executive further emphasised the importance of organisational culture.
She encouraged leaders to create workplaces where employees feel empowered to question assumptions, challenge established thinking and contribute ideas.
According to her, disagreement should not automatically be viewed as resistance.
Constructive challenge can help organisations identify weaknesses before they become costly problems.
“The strongest institutions are not those where everyone agrees. They are those where constructive challenge is welcomed, diverse perspectives are valued and difficult conversations take place before difficult decisions become unavoidable.”
Such an environment can strengthen decision-making by ensuring that leaders are exposed to different perspectives before committing to major strategic decisions.
Governance must evolve with the operating environment
Okai-Tettey also stressed that governance frameworks cannot remain static.
As technology advances, stakeholder expectations change and global risks become increasingly interconnected, organisations must continually reassess their systems, capabilities and leadership structures.
For businesses, this means treating resilience as an ongoing strategic responsibility rather than a project that can simply be completed.
It also requires organisations to invest in people and capabilities capable of responding to new forms of risk.
Resilience as a long-term investment
Concluding her address, Okai-Tettey urged organisations to view resilience as an investment in institutional capability rather than simply an exercise in risk reduction.
“Success is not measured by the absence of challenges. It is measured by the quality of the solutions we create.”
She added that every decision, conversation and constructive challenge contributes to the development of stronger institutions.
Her central message was that organisations cannot build resilience without improving the quality of their thinking.
“Ultimately, the quality of our institutional resilience will never exceed the quality of our thinking,” she said.
Risk Summit 2026
Risk Summit 2026 brought together regulators, policymakers, business leaders, governance professionals and risk practitioners to examine emerging global risks and explore practical approaches to strengthening institutions.
The discussions highlighted the growing need for organisations to combine strong governance with adaptability, innovation and sound decision-making as businesses navigate an increasingly uncertain global environment.
For institutions seeking to remain competitive, the message from the summit is increasingly clear: managing risk is no longer enough. Organisations must learn to think beyond it.
